Putting out Fires and Statues
by YellowWolfy
Summary: In the middle of the seventies, a large part of the wizarding community try hard not to think too much about lord Voldemort, and who're better at forgetting than teenagers?
1. Prologue

_1 september 1975_

The mist lay thick on the platform called 9¾, as if covering up the crying mass of people, consisting mostly of grown-ups. Parents never did get used to it after all, sending away their kids. A fifteen year old girl patted her mother on her back and tried to comeback up with some meaningful parting words. This happened every year, the girl would try to come up with the perfect words to say and it all ended up as rubbish. This year she'd abandoned all hopes of ever saying the perfect goodbye and had just started hugging both of her parents as often as she could. Yes, she would be very sad to leave them. But she was going back to her school, and as she long ago found out; there's places that are better than home.

Her blonde hair was messy and had just started reaching her shoulders, which she was grateful for. She'd liked it short, but seriously, it had been a pain during the last winter. In her jeans pocket lay a prefect badge. She looked up, again, at the large clock. 10:47. She wondered if it was enough with the goodbyes now, she gave both of her parents a quick final hug before she climbed onto the train, carrying her luggage. With her she had a black cat, bought simply because she loved fitting into the prejudice. Because as you surely know, she was not just a simple girl on a train. Well, ok then, she was a simple girl on a train. But she was also a witch, going to the finest Wizardry School in the whole wide world; Hogwarts.

The witch's name was Cecilia Hawthorn and she was, finally, on her way back.


	2. The Chocolate Frog That Never Returned

I'm not so good at pretending to be something I'm not. Scratch that, I'm awful at lying and everything connected to it. My friends tease me and say that it's the only reason why I'm a Hufflepuff. But right now I wish I knew how to keep a secret. I can feel my lips twitching and I cough to hide it.

"Are you okay, Cecilia?" Rebecca asks me. Haha, nope. But seriously, I'm not okay. I'm gonna do it. I am going to reveal one of my friend's secret very soon. It's like I can feel it in my bones. Rebecca knows that I know something, and she knows I'm about to tell. Hailey from Gryffindor and Cindy from Ravenclaw are talking about where our slightly younger friend, Ruby, is. They are wondering if she even made it on the train. Oh Merlin, I can't do this.

"FINE, she's down the hall snogging the life out of Justin Nguyen!" I say quickly, just to get it over with. Peuh. Now it's done.

My friends start screaming with laughter (mixed with mild disgust) at the mental picture. Justin is a... well, he wasn't placed in Gryffindor for a reason. But he's smart and friendly enough, if you really try to get his attention.

"But he's a total wimp!" Cindy says in between laughter, her face a weird shade of red. Somehow she and Hailey ended up on the floor. Rebecca doesn't look that surprised, but amused nevertheless.

"Well, I guess she likes his.. his ehm.. innocence, maybe?" I say, trying to get my head around my friend's taste in the opposite sex.

"Or.. she just likes a certain part of his anatomy." Rebecca counters and wiggles her eyebrows, whilst twisting her normally pretty face into that of a madwoman. The effect is really good, especially since her face is coloured in the same shade as her red hair. I may be surrounded by weirdos.

"Ah well, I guess he's ok in his own way." Cindy says, making an effort to pull herself together. "Should we go spy on them?"

"Eugh, no. I don't wanna se them snogging!" Hailey says, reaching into her pocket for her chewing gum. Just as she opens the plastic bag the compartment-door opens.

"Oh, could I have some?" Lily Evans asks, as the first thing she sees is Hailey's bag of chewing gum. Lily is quite a nice person actually and I swear to you, that Potter boy is not stupid. At least not when it comes to choosing girls. The courting-process however may not be his best field, as the entire school well knows. I don't know them that well personally, but I've still heard the gossip and seen some of his failed attempts. They're quite entertaining, actually. But still sad.

"Sure, Lily!" Hailey says, always happy to give away snacks. When we were younger there were these two older Gryffindors who always came to Hailey to ask for snacks. I think they were called Faolán and Godward or something like that. Thankfully, they're not in school anymore. I think that they'd have made Hailey bankrupt if they had stayed.

"Thanks. Anyways, I'm here to remind you of the prefects meeting, I guessed that one of you would've been made prefect." she says, sounding very organized and ambitious. Like being a prefect was something good. Oh Merlin, I doubt that it will be good.

I clear my throat and says; "Yeah, I've been made a prefect."

"She's the only one of us who's got the badge!" Rebecca says and gives me a shove. "Off you go then!"

I roll my eyes and leave my friends to enjoy their long ride back to Hogwarts, without the prefects meeting. The train is making me bump into the walls as I walk behind Lily. Or maybe it's my clumsiness, not the train. I remember something and quickly run back to the compartment. The place is already in chaos.

"Hey, guys!" I shout, not unnecessarily done. This is an important matter. "Could you buy me some chocolate if the trolley lady walks by? I'm afraid that I'll miss her."

As I return to the corridor Evans is hexing someone, looking at the person with a perfect movie villain gaze. I would guess that her victim is Potter. She tucks her wand beneath her robes and turn to face me. The deadly face she just wore is replaced with a polite smile. "Are you ready to go now?" she asks, and I think that maybe the girl shouldn't be classed as Perfect Prefect Evans, just because of the effect the boy who she now walks by has on her. I don't think he's conscious.

"_Rennevate_." I whisper and slump after Lily in the corridor. As she opens the door I look back to se James Potter sitting up with a pained expression. Well, at least he's receptive now.

Lily leads the way to where the prefects meeting is hold. Suddenly I'm anxious, what if I'll have to do something I really don't want to? Like telling off students who are out of bed. Why on earth would they listen to me? I mean, I didn't ask for this, I just got it on the owl post. Maybe it would be wise to decline the badge.

I'm thinking of what I'd do if caught a student snogging with a statue (which thankfully is very unlikely) when Lily opens the door to a large compartment. It's much larger than the ones we usually sit in. A couple of prefects are scattered around the big wooden table in the middle. The Heads haven't arrived yet. I guess that Lily felt the need to be early. She sits down by one of the marauders, one of those who aren't as popular as the two others. He looks quite amiable, in his own way. I wonder why Lily would voluntarily sit by a marauder as she strikes up a conversation about ancient runes. Oh yippie, that's really my favourite subject! Now I'm totally gonna go sit with them and give the impression of being smart. Note the sarcasm.

"Cecilia, have you met Remus Lupin?" Lily spins around and says with a smile. I look at this boy, Remus, and smile.

"No, I haven't. Nice to meet you Remus." I say and hold out my hand, which he takes. I may be paranoid, but I think that he thought about not taking my hand. Woah, do I really give such a bad first impression? Sweet.

"So, do you both study ancient runes?" I ask. Perfect, now I barely have to say a single word. I just sit and listen to them talking and nod at appropriate times until the Heads arrive. I'm seated between Lily and another girl I don't know the name of. I don't think that I've seen her before, but that's usual. My friends thinks that I don't notice the people around me until they open their mouths. Naturally I do.. Sometimes.

"Attention prefects!" the Head Boy says, but it's quite unnecessary since all the prefects shut their mouths, drew their shoulders back and stretched their backs as soon as the Heads walked through the door. "I'm Hector Freud, your new Head Boy, and this is Tanya Smith, your new Head Girl."

The next hours are filled with just a long boring meeting about our responsibilities. Now I'm seriously considering giving up my badge. As Freud and Smith gives us their permission to leave I slowly awake my legs from their slumber.

"I'm sure that it will be a bit more lively on our rounds than the meetings." Remus leans in and says good-naturedly. I smile back up at him and stand up.

"Yeah, about that. Did you by any chance hear who I'm supposed to patrol with?" I ask, feeling kind of stupid.

"No, sorry. But I think that Lily copied the entire schedule the Heads made. I'm sure she'll let you have a look at it."

"Right, thanks." I say and go to ask Lily, only to find that she's already left. I'll just have to find her later then. As I walk back to our compartment I can feel the abstinence kicking in. I really need chocolate. Fortunately, Cindy tosses me a chocolate frog just as I walk into the compartment. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, I don't manage to catch it. Instead I give a small shriek and jump up in the air. Yes, some people do that when things are tossed in their direction. And I'm one of them.

"Typical." Rebecca mutters as I lay down on the floor, searching for my chocolate. I'm not prepared to let the delicious chocolate frog just lay somewhere near me the next few hours. Hailey and Cindy are engrossed in a conversation about the love-life of a professor.

"Hey, could you let Jude out of his cage?" I ask her from the floor, suddenly remembering what I should've done a while ago. Jude, my lazy cat, doesn't like being transported that much. But by now he should've cooled down enough to stretch his legs.

"Sure." Rebecca says and lets the beast out. Jude is really sweet, but he's lazy and constantly wants more attention. With the one exception being the time he attacked the cutest owl I've ever seen. That incident is now forever engraved in our minds and has earned him to be called beast.

"Ahh come on, Rebecca! Why did you let it out?" Cindy whines and pulls her legs up. Jude would probably have bitten her toes if she hadn't. Their relationship is... complicated But what do you honestly care about my crazy cat? Let me give you a proper introduction to my friends.

Cindy is the loud, funny and still thoughtful Ravenclaw. She's also heartbreakingly beautiful, especially to this one bloke... But that's irrelevant for the time being. She travelled to Vietnam, where her parents are from, over the summer, so it's really great seeing her again.

Hailey is the Gryffindor of the group, that's why she kind of knows Lily Evans. She's addicted to invigoration draughts and is easily restless. She has dark brown hair and I'd call her quite girly sometimes, but maybe I just think of her as girly since she changed styles overnight sometimes in our third year from innocent with absolutely no makeup to.. a bit more.

Rebecca is the big bad wolf of our group, since she's a Slytherin. Juuust kidding. But all of the Slytherins in our year have a fling of the pure-blood madness that goes around these days, so she keeps civil with them and friendly with us who haven't caught that disease. But since Rebecca actually is civil with most of the Slytherins she knows everything concerning gossip, and I mean everything. It's a bit scary with her stalker-abilities from time to time.

Ruby is a couple of months younger than the rest of us and is therefore in her fourth year. Her hair is black and out of control, she's always complaining about how hard it is to wash. When she's at home she even lets her mum do it. She's a stereotypical Ravenclaw, sitting very straight up in class and studying like a maniac, although she's always saying that she hardly studies at all. I think it's good for Ruby to not be at home so much. The first time I went to Ruby's place I nearly had a heart attack, since her family is the complete opposite of my political parents and hippie-brother. Her dad is, mildly speaking, a bit possessive and over-protective.

And that's all of the most important people you'll ever hear me think about. Back to the present:

"He's not an it, Cindy." Somehow, this message never sticks and I say it mostly out of habit. I don't even think she's listening to me. But that might be because the compartment door opens. I sigh as I stand up, without having found my chocolate frog. Life is not fair.

In the door-opening stands a monstrously tall person. Or that might just be a matter of perspective. But his head is the size of a Bertie Bott's every flavoured bean away from banging into the doorframe. The unruly black hair that looks like a tornado has swept by it. I'm glad to say that he seems to be recovered from Lily's hex.

"Hi there." Cindy says and tries not to look as if this is weird. Hailey says hello as well, they must know each other a little since they're in the same house, I guess.

"Have any of you fine ladies seen Pad- Sirius Black?" he asks. Pad? Maybe it's short for Paddy. But that's a strange nickname. We shake our heads. Rebecca shrinks a bit in the corner, I guess it's because of her house, but since she's not wearing her Slytherin robes I think she's safe. James Potter has a reputation of not liking Slytherins, and I don't think he'd wait long enough for us to explain to him that Rebecca isn't mad.

"Oh... I thought he might've found some girl or something like that. Could you tell him to get his arse over to our compartment if you see him?" he says, waiting for our nods and leaves. We stay quiet for a couple of seconds.

"Riiiiight, wanna play Exploding Snap cards?" Hailey says and the rest of the train ride swifts by quickly. It would just be a little bit better if I'd found that chocolate frog. Aren't Hufflepuffs supposed to be good finders? I console myself by eating all of my chocolate frogs Cindy didn't throw to me. And the majority of Cindy's chocolate frogs.

* * *

Authors note:

It's been awhile since I published anything and I've had this story lying around on my computer for months... Honestly, it deserves to be read by someone other than me! :) Please comment if you find funny grammar or misspelled words, it's sort of bound to happen. Amanda, you're super-mega-awesome-foxy-hot and much more!

Hugs Y


	3. Animalistics noted

The usual Hogwarts feast goes as it usually does, the small frightened first years have already been sorted, Dumbledore has given us his fabulously short speech about nothing of worth at all (which in a way makes it of worth), and now everyone's talking loudly about their summer whilst eating the delicious food. I'm eating this really buttery potato with salmon with the result being that I've stopped caring about manners completely, I'll have to remember to praise the house-elves for this dish. As I am seated with no one I really want to talk to I just make small talk with some roommates, who are good people, but a bit boring. As they discuss whether or not it could be possible for Dumbledore to include rhetorics in our course plan I tune out and look behind my roommates, toward the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables. I notice that Cindy isn't sitting next to Ruby, who's probably sitting with Justin then. I make eye contact with Cindy and motions for her to pick up our notebook.

Now, our notebook was made for the five of us to communicate quickly and somewhat discreetly, since all of us never have the same class at the same time. So we all have our individual small notebook where Cindy charmed the pages to make sure that what's written in one book is copied into all the others. Simple enough. My book is a dark blue colour and is, in my opinion, a brilliant and creative crossover between the notebook of a spy and a businessman. My friends don't share this opinion.

"Soooo.. Ruby's occupied. - C.H." I write after excusing myself to my roommates. It's weird, but when I have any sort of book in front of my nose, all the other sounds fade away, and I can feel it happening now.

"Yes, it's actually boring over here. But I'm with Chris and his friends so it's ok. - C" I look up and recognize the face of Chris, a guy Cindy briefly dated in our third year and his fourth. It wasn't exactly Chris's decision to break up, and I doubt that he's ever gotten over getting dumped. Rebecca may never give up on them going back as a couple, but the rest of us (who are sane) gave up a long time ago.

"You could always come over here and discuss schoolstuff. - C.H." It may not have been a fully serious suggestion. On normal days we tend to sit together on one of the four tables, but on feasts and such we've never really done that. Feels more polite towards the people in our houses.

"Hehe, no thanks. I'm good. - C" I smile as I read it but then a loud BANG is rung over the Great Hall. I hear a small shriek as a Slytherin has picked up a tablespoon and examined her appearance, followed by outbursts of laughter from the other tables and indignation from the Slytherin table. All of the Slytherins have now animalistic features. Frederick Leafield (a nasty seventh year prefect who's been smitten by the pure-blood-maniac disease) now looks like a turkey vulture. I find Rebecca in the crowd and she looks embarrassed, but very cute, as a pig. The blush on her face is unmistakeable and I feel sorry for her. I turn around to the Gryffindor table and see the marauders howling from laughter. B**ches. But then nearly everyone in the hall starts to laugh at the Slytherins and Rebecca looks even more mortified.

The teachers tries to remove the charm or potion, or whatever it is, but they fail and the Slytherins just have to wait until the joke gets old (which takes 10 minutes for everyone but the marauders) until avhe charm wears off. So the less people who think it's funny, the less the Slytherins look like animals. The Slytherins opinions weren't included. But by the end of desert all of the Slytherins are almost back to normal. I can just spot a few whiskers and some elephant trunks. Those who got the elephant look were really unfortunate.

"Are you ready to go down to the common room?" Eleanor, a girl from my dorm, asks me and I stand up with her to leave, until I remember my duty as a prefect. Oh Merlin, my palms are already sweaty. I can't do this. I can't do this. I look over the Gryffindor table where Lily and Lupin are already organising their first years. Hm.. Lily Lupin doesn't sound so bad, maybe Remus is the right marauder for Lily after all. Bad thought right now, focus!

"I'll have to organise the first years, but I'll meet you in our dorm." I say and try to sound as calm as I can. After Eleanor tells me that it's ok and wishes me good luck I find the other prefect in my year, Jack Weston, and tell him that it's time to get the first years.

"But we'll only need one prefect for that, Cecilia. Can't you do it?" is his response and I want to strangle the boy. No I don't, not really. But you get the gesture of this thought.

I sigh. "Sure." I know, I'm an easily-persuaded idiot for saying yes. Okay, time to breathe. I shout over the table; "Alrightyo first years, gather around me, please."

Luckily for me all the first years had seen the other students leaving and were a bit anxious to know what they were supposed to do now, so all of them had heard me. I count them swiftly and hope that I haven't lost someone before we've even started walking. That would've been typical.

"So, follow me please and we'll go to what will be your common room for the next seven years!" I say, and immediately regrets that last part. Did I just make studying at Hogwarts sound like a prison sentence?

The walk to the common room is actually pleasant as the first years are flabbergast, looking at the paintings that I've grown accustomed to with wonder in their expressions. It makes me feel kind of old. I explain shortly about the things we walk by, including the kitchens. As a tradition, the Hufflepuffs have always been om a friendly foot towards the house-elfs. It's a theory that this is the reason why some of us are extremely good at cooking and some of us are extremely bad at cooking, either we learn from the house-elfs, or we become accustomed to always get delicious food, with the only trouble being a two minutes walk.

I tap the barrel very demonstrative for the first years and step into the cosiest room I've ever been in in my entire life, so far. The hufflepuff common room is round, a soft yellow colour and it's filled with plants. My favourites are the ones in the ceiling, their tendrils started brushing against my head sometime in my third year and I felt extremely proud. The first years can barely reach them. I let them look around for a few seconds as I sit down in one of the many armchairs, but I still remember the small speech I'm supposed to make. I clear my throat to get their attention, and the eight students place themselves in the sofas and armchairs around me.

"So, I personally find our common room to be the cosiest of them all!" I say with a big smile, and a boy's hand shoots straight up in the air just as I finish my sentence. "Yes?"

"I thought that we weren't allowed in the other common rooms." Oh no, one of the first things I said made it sound like I'd broken a rule. Great.

"Well, we're not. But I've heard my friends describe their common rooms." I say and hope that they have no doubt that I'm responsible and respectable. Which I totally am. "But the Hufflepuff common rooms inside is a heavily guarded secret which has been kept for about a thousand years, it'd be wise not to show or describe it to anyone."

Anyways, time to stop going over the strict rules. "You've heard the Sorting Hat's words about Hufflepuff House's admirable loyalty and trustworthiness, but not all of you are like that."

Most of the young folks look dazed and clue-less. Maybe I should explain that a bit further.

"You see, I don't think that all of the young Gryffindors are brave and hot headed, just as not all of the young Ravenclaws are bookish and creative and not all Slytherins are born C.I.A.-spies." some of the kids managed a smile at that, but the others are looking at me very solemnly. Maybe they didn't get the muggle reference.

"It's important to remember that the Sorting Hat puts you in the house that is most suited for you, and that there's isn't just four kinds of personalities in this world." I take a small pause, mostly because I've no idea what I'm saying. "Therefore, it's important not to judge a fellow student by their house. But there will be students who'll judge, and there is prejudices towards all houses. The most important thing I'd like to say to you is that the world is a bit tough, but you are all capable of finding the brightness in it. And don't you dare believe that Hufflepuff isn't as noble, brave, worthy or smart as the other houses. The main point I'm trying to make is that loyality and perseverance is something to strive for in this house, but you're all much more than two adjectives."

The first years stare at me, some nodding slightly and one boy bites his thumb. I smile a bit, the young students are so scared and helpless that I have to resist pulling them all in for a big grouphug.

"Now, time to think of sleep, don't you think?" I say a bit louder. "If you're a girl you'll share a room with the other girls from your year and if you're a boy you'll share with the boys from your year. The girls dorm is the door to the left and the boys is the door to the right. Make sure to wake up in time for classes tomorrow, you'll get you schedules by breakfast. Sweet dreams!"

I watch as the students stumble slowly towards their dormitories. The long sermon was a bad idea, perhaps, when their minds had already been stuffed with new impressions. I begin walking towards my room, almost stepping on one of the house-elves feet.

"Can Kiki help you, miss Cecilia?" squeaks the house-elf whose foot I almost destroyed as she simultaneously folds a blanket and lays it on an armchair. She's with three other house-elfs who're cleaning the common room, not that it's exactly needed. But somehow I think the house-elves are always eager to visit the Hufflepuff common room. Helga's portrait especially is regarded as sacrosanct.

"No, but thank you, Kiki." I say and wave to the other house-elves, Potty and Tricky, as I open the round door to the girls dorms. When I'm, finally, by my bed I brush my hand along the patchwork of my quilt and childishly jump into bed, waking up Eleanor who's in the bed next to me.

"I'm sorry." I whisper quickly, but she insists that she wasn't asleep. Yeah right, she wasn't.

"How did it go with the first years?" Eleanor asks sleepily. I really shouldn't have jumped into bed so literally.

"I think it went well, at least I hope so. But how could I know, right? Merlin, I really really hope that I didn't screw up their impression of Hogwarts. I kinda made a really long speech as well, but I don't know. Do you believe that the speech could've been a bit too long?" I say quickly, but as I glance toward Eleanor I notice that she's asleep, snoring actually.

"Great." I whisper and try not to think about how unfit I am as a prefect as I fall asleep.


	4. Bubotuber pus for breakfast

"Good morning!" is what I greet my dorm mates with as I walk out of the bathroom with a big smile on my face and a towel wrapped around my head. I know, the smile and early rising may seem a bit... presumptuous? Ambitious? Whatever it may seem to be it's a big word that I haven't learned yet. But my dorm mates either choose not to comment or aren't awake enough to notice. I walk up towards the Great Hall and look into the kitchens quickly. Since I'm a bit early the house-elfs are still busy preparing for breakfast and I don't stop for long. But they seem to be happy, the kitchen is a chaotic mess of large flopping ears bobbing around.

I sit down by myself at the Hufflepuff table, my back towards the Gryffindor table as usual, and notice that none of my friends are awake yet. That was, to say the least, not unexpected. Rebecca is incorrigible when it comes to waking up in the mornings. As a result I've started making her sandwiches to give her as she enters the Great Hall a couple of minutes before classes start.

I pour up a cup of tea and bring out a book to read. It's very quiet in the Great Hall at this hour, there's only the sound of a few students walking around and eating without making much sound. I smile to myself and think that this is the reason why I wake up early some mornings. I put down my book on the table and start staring very rudely at my surroundings.

The new defence against the dark arts teacher sits alone at the teachers table. He's around thirty, or a very healthy and athletic forty. He looks very... proper. I'd bet five galleons that he was a head boy at Hogwarts when he was a student and spends exactly the same amount of time combing his short hair every day. Dumbledore introduced him yesterday evening, but I can't quite remember his name. Professor Diddle? Haha, no. If it was Diddle I would've remembered it!

"Cecilia?" a voice asks behind me. I turn around to find Lily Evans, looking bright and alert. It's not surprising, really, that she's a morning person as well.

"'Morning Lily, what's up?" I ask and shove my rucksack down the bench to give her space to sit, which she does.

"Remus said that you had had a massive headache at the prefects meeting, and didn't hear when you're supposed to patrol!" Oh, right, that. Why did Lupin cover for me to Lily? I did most certainly not have a headache that day and I don't see any reason for him lying. Maybe it's just in his Gryffindor nature, being dishonest. Well, not dishonest, that word's to strong. But appreciating the small things in life, like lying. But maybe this counts as a white lie.

"Oh no, I didn't. Do you know, by any chance?" I ask, quite unnecessarily as well. Of course she knows.

"I do, as a matter of fact." she says, smiling. Lily is weird in her own way, she's so perfect at a first glance. It's like the only thing you can say about her that is negative is that you can't find the negative thing. But she's only human, and I'm sure that I'd learn all of her flaws if she'd let me.

"You're with Leafield." she says after studying her notes for awhile, wrinkling her nose a little bit.

"Oh Merlin, which one?" I ask quickly. All the Leafields are a bit crazy. The majority of the Leafields are pureblood-fanatics.

"It's Raymond, so you don't have to deal with the worst of the crazies."

"Well, that's something at least. Who're you with?"

"Nathan Russell." she says indifferently, reaching for some bread and butter. I catch sight of someone standing very closely behind her and starts to open my mouth to warn her, but he's first.

"Morning Lily-Flower!" Potter says quite vocally, putting his hands over her eyes.

And then shit goes down, if you'd mind my use of vocabulary.

"You loathsome piece of dung! Can't you just let me be and accept that you're literally the last person in the world I'd ever go out with?" Lily screams, red in the face and wrestling to get keep James more than an inch from herself. "Argh, you're to bad to be true!"

"Don't you mean 'you're to good to be true', Lily-Tily? Besides, I never asked you for a date this time. But I can take a hint, Flower. I recognize the love on your face as clear as Padfoot notices a strand of hair out of place on his head."

"No, there's no bloody love in my face!" Lily screams, throwing my now cold tea on him. Well, that's a bit rude. "You should take a bath – in Bubotuber pus!"

Lily runs away, furious, leaving Potter gaping with his mouth open and tea dripping down his nose. I've never seen him this close after a Lily-encounter before. Maybe that's why I've never seen that almost pathetic, heartbreaking look on his face before. I start pouring up another cup of tea. The great hall is now a bit more crowded, but hardly. I look back at Potter.

"I didn't even ask her this time.." he mutters to himself and closes his mouth, takes a deep breath, puts his mask on, and walks back to the Gryffindor table looking like he was the most care-free person in the world. Poor guy. You'd think that you'd get used to getting rejected when it'd happened a few dozen times, but perhaps not. Most people would give up, but no, not Potter. He is a chaser to the bone.

I sit thinking for a while and then look around me to see that people are leaving and my schedule is in front of me. Huh, it's weird that I'd spaced out so completely that professor Sprout had been able to leave it there without me noticing. I have a look at it and groan. Potions in ten minutes. I look around me and can't find Rebecca anywhere, so I make her a sandwich.

As I walk through the large doors out of the hall I meet Rebecca in the doorway, looking grumpy and newly-awake as usual in the mornings. I think she'd benefit from going to a school where she'd have to take the bus for a long time every morning, to force her to wake up. A waterslide could be a good alternative.

"Have you been an annoyingly happy morning person again?" Rebecca says as a greeting.

"Sure have, do you want a sandwich?" Is my reply and she grabs it from my hands and starts running off to the Transfiguration corridor.

"A 'thank you', perhaps?" I yell after her and she stops for a moment.

"Fffanks!" she shouts with half of the sandwich already in her mouth. She stumbles over her feet as she start sprinting again, almost running into some Ravenclaws who're on their way to potions, my class.

I walk quickly towards potions. Somehow, no matter how early I awake, I'm always a couple of minutes later than I should be. Maybe someone has put a curse on me... Yes, that does seems likely.

I enter the potion classroom when everyone's still getting seated, which always takes awhile. I manage to slip in and pull out a chair next to Cindy without Slughorn noticing that I am late. I'm not even sure if he knows my name, as a matter of fact. I believe it's because I'm not in his beloved house, Slytherin, my family is neither disgustingly rich nor outstanding in any other way and I'm mediocre at potions. Therefore, I'm not collectible.

Justin Nguyen, however, is. It's the boy Ruby (whom I still haven't talked to) snogged yesterday. I wonder if they're going out now. It's very unfortunate that she's not just one month older, it would've been good to gossip with her right now.

"Well, well. Welcome back to potions! Now, we all know what excitement this year will bring! Let's talk about the big event we have before us, the OWL's!" Slughorn cheerily starts the class in this way and everyone tries to look on the edge and sharp. But after thirty minutes no one is paying him much attention anymore and someone behind me let's out the occasional snore.

"Good day, students!" professor Flitwick squeaks, followed by murmurs from the class, which is full of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs this time. I've taken a seat next to Hailey, who's writing her name on her hand in capital letters with her muggle quill.

"As you all know OWLs are coming up.." Flitwick starts and I immediately tune out. I guess that every professor will start their classes with a lecture of thirty minutes this year. As Hailey finishes her signature on her own hand she moves on to writing on my hand. I look around at the people. It's strange that I hardly know their names.

Remus's sitting next to the fourth marauder, writing on a piece of paper until it's full then folding it and putting it in his pocket. Then he takes out a new piece of paper to do exactly the same thing. It's too far away for me to see the words, but it's quite fun to see the process. Until he turns around and catches me staring like an idiot. He smiles and nods and I just smile briefly at him, or try to smile is more like it, I'm sure it just looks like I'm having nervous spasms. Why can't my body smile in a normal way during circumstances like these? I look away and start doodling on my desk in defeat.

* * *

A/N

This isn't the whole chapter actually.. But I figured it was about time to publish something! :)


	5. Just slightly full of crazy

"Cecilia!" someone, I think it's Cindy, shouts to me and I look around, unable to find her in the crowded hallway. Someone taps my shoulder and I turn around. "Are you blind?"

"I-yeah, probably." Cindy had been right behind me, her blue Ravenclaw colours prominent.

"I'm off to transfiguration with the Slytherins, you?" She asks me as we start walking without really looking where we're going.

"Defence, time to meet this years professor. It starts with a D, right?" I say.

"His name is Davies."

"Oh, that is so boring, as far as names go you know?" I say, sighing for poor Davies.

"We can't all have a rare flower as our surnames, miss Hawthorne, the world would fall apart." Is Cindy's retort.

"I can't help my surname. It's not like anyone spent a long amount of time picking it out or anything. It's just there, you know?" I throw my hands up in a wild gesture.

"Just you keep telling yourself that."

We're taking a shortcut through an empty corridor full of thick tapestries as we hear a discussion going on behind one of the them. Cindy motions for me to stop as we hear the word Quidditch.

"Padfoot, this is the year we win. I know it will be! I've talked to Armenia, and we'll smash all the other teams this year. The Hufflepuffs aren't even proper competition, you know that, and the Slytherins never practise enough, but the Ravenclaws are really good for some damn reason!" The voice of James Potter carries through the thick fabric that separates us all.

"But you're just asking a little bit too much. I've always had a freedom of choice, and I like it that way!" Sirius Black says. He sounds like a drama queen, I should ask someone if he is a drag queen during school breaks or something. I genuinely believe that that would be suitable for the lad.

"Maybe we shouldn't listen to this." I whisper to Cindy but she just rolls her eyes and smiles. I start to fidget with my robes.

"You know what, this is it! This is the greatest idea I've ever had. We're so going to win this game, if you just get yourself together. What are you even whining about, it's not like I'm asking you to declare your love to Slughorn and his crystallised pineapple in front of the whole school."

"But you would've asked me to, if you thought it would help, wouldn't you?"

"Well yeah, maybe." he admits shamelessly. "But come on, Padfoot. It's quidditch! Stop complaining and get on with it!"

"Fine, but I'm just telling you that I really don't wanna do this. Chris will never write my homework ever again."

"So?" James says, shrugging his shoulders.

"So, I'll have to do my homework, you know why Moony stopped in second year. And homework's just boring. Why bother writing down stuff you already know when you could just say it?"

"You can argue about homework with Moony, I'm sure he'd volunteer gladly. Come on, time for defence."

The voices disappear and Cindy and I are left to be bewildered. Well, I am, Cindy's mostly smiling like a wolf. As she is part of the Ravenclaw team she is probably in a mix between feeling proud and concerned.

"Now we know they're up to something at least, can't be so hard to figure it out! See you soon." She says cheerfully and starts walking left as I go right to the Defence against the dark arts-classroom.

Walking into our Defence classroom I freeze in the doorway. Last year, we had a laid-back hippie as our teacher, the classrom used to smell like marijuana and there were sunflowers on the window sills. I absolutely loved it. In comparison, professor Davies classroom feels like Mordor, even though he looks as clean as an elf. He could possibly be a young Saruman, with the use of some imagination. He's given us seating arrangements and there're nametags on each bench. I glance towards the blackboard and find that there're rules written on it. Some of them are simple, like Do not speak during a lecture. Do not bring beverages or food to class. But trust me, the list of rules does not end there.

After waving to Hailey, who sits next to Lily Evans, I sit down next to Remus who's my assigned seating-partner.

"This teacher..." I whisper as I rearrange my quills.

"Is ridiculous." Remus chimes in. I give him a small smile.

"I'd rather call him ludicrous myself."

"Possibly wacky." He says and I snort, looking straight ahead as professor Davies starts his lesson by promptly reciting his groundrules, the word he liberately uses to describe them. And, to be honest, all these rules are starting to intimidate me.

After DADA I grab Hailey and drag her into an empty classroom to ask her about the super secret Quidditch plan, seeing as she is my Gryffindor friend and therefore must know everything concerning her house. I'm expecting a semi-funny story for the free period, but as I open the heavy brown door a cliché is what we walk into instead.

"Oh my god!" Hailey screams, giggling and covering her eyes at the same time. Justin Nguyen stands up, pulling his trousers back on.

"It's really not what it looks like, I swear!" He shouts, his voice shrill.

"Well then, please explain how a bloke having sex with a piece of furniture can be described as something other than just that!" I shout, and Merlin I never thought I'd say that sentence. My eyebrows must look like they've been painted by a surrealist, they're definately not anywhere near their normal height.

"It's just who I am, alright!" He shouts as he buttons his shirt. "Why does everybody have to be so judgemental?"

I am slightly taken aback by that statement. He could have a point, but then I remember that he is dating Ruby.

"Yeah, well this classifies as cheeting!" I yell back at him and sit down on a bench.

"Dude, I wouldn't touch anything in here." Hailey warns me and I shoot out off the chair.

* * *

A/N

Hia, everyone. I know, it's been quite awhile and I don't even have a proper excuse. Loved the reviews, Remus and Cecilia have a pretty weird fanfiction-relationship seeing as it is almost non existent. Working on that ;)

Please inform me on any grammar and/or spelling mistakes, it's really helpful. Until next time! :)


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